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Kennedy's airing on target
State Treasurer John Kennedy did the people a service last week when he raised questions at a Streamlining Commission over the state Department of Education's practice of hiring consultants to conduct work that Education Department employees could handle themselves.
A member of the Streamlining Commission, which was created by the Legislature during the 2009 Regular Session, Kennedy pointed out that the Department of Education spent some $615 million on 5,500 professional service contracts over the past five years. Some $130 million of that money was spent during the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
Needless to say, some of the contracts the Department of Education entered into for so-called professional services were questionable at best. A $94,000 contract to Sports 4 Kids "to provide a program that will assist students to learn valuable social skills through organized play on their recess and lunch period" comes to mind. There are others, many of which we would describe as a waste of money.
Kennedy made that point clear. He was right, too.
However, given the Department of Education's history of ignoring suggestions from elected officials on how to better manage its money, we suspect Kennedy's public exposure of wasteful spending at the Education Department will fall on deaf ears. Of course, Kennedy's work won't be for naught if the Legislature pressed the issue. Don't hold your breath, though.
In light of the information we learned last week thanks to Kennedy's expose', we are reminded of a comment state Sen. Mike Walsworth made earlier this week. According to Walsworth, some 70 percent-90 percent of the recommendations the Streamlining Commission is expected to make to the Legislature in the coming weeks could be implemented by the state today without the Legislature's approval. In other words, roughly three-fourths or more of the recommendations the Streamlining Commission will make on how to more efficiently operate government in Louisiana could be carried out now without state lawmakers being asked to bless them.
We wonder if the Department of Education has given that any thought. |
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